In this issue
Edition: Asia
Vol. 175, No. 12

COVER

What Obama's Visit to Indonesia Means for Asia (Diplomacy)
By HANNAH BEECH / JAKARTA
As Barack Obama prepares for a trip to his childhood home in Indonesia, many across Asia are disappointed that he has not delivered on his promise to pay the region more attention

ASIA

Postcard from Bangkok
By HANNAH BEECH
It's hard to be neutral in a country where not just political parties but also the days of the week are assigned hues and meanings. Parsing the color codes of Thailand

COMMENTARY

Turning Japanese
By MICHAEL SCHUMAN
Japan's two decades of paralysis provide a lesson for an America in political gridlock

ARTS

Lunch with China's Mo Yan (Authors)
By SIMON ELEGANT
Chinese literary great Mo Yan owes some of his longevity to artful compromise

GLOBAL ADVISER

A Weekend in Kathmandu (TIME Traveler)
By JENARA NERENBERG
Don't just head for base camp. Take time to enjoy Nepal's busy capital

Slumdog Commissionaire (Next Time You're in ... Cape Town)
By GAVIN BELL
Guided tours open the door to Cape Town's notorious townships

Anglo-U.S. Accord (Amuse-Bouche)
By DAVID KAUFMAN
Enjoy the honest, rustic flavors of the British gastropub in New York

Valley High (Check In)
By SANGITA ANAND
Take an opportunity to do not much at all at Raglan's Hidden Valley Luxury Retreat